The present invention relates to a method and device for erasing a message from a wireless communication device such as a pager, a PHS, or a portable cellular phone. The wireless communication device has means for storing a plurality of messages and is capable of displaying a plurality of character information items. More particularly, the present invention relates to a pager, a PHS, or a portable cellular phone which is arranged so as to be able to readily erase a plurality of unneeded messages, including unread messages.
A method by which a user erases messages from a conventional pager having a display includes a method of individually selecting messages and erasing the thus-selected messages one by one, a method of erasing all the messages that had been read, and a method of unconditionally erasing all the messages.
Under a method by which a pager automatically erases messages, when the message storage capacity of the pager reaches its limit as a result of receipt of messages, the messages that have already been read (hereinafter referred to simply as xe2x80x9calready-read messagesxe2x80x9d) are erased according to chronological order of receipt. If there is no already-read messages, messages that have not yet been read (hereinafter referred to as xe2x80x9cnot-yet-read messagesxe2x80x9d) are also erased according to chronological order of receipt.
In recent years, in association with proliferation of information delivery service by way of a message, the number of messages received and the capacity for storing the thus-received messages have swelled by at least an order of magnitude. Further, in contrast to a message addressed to an individual, an information message does not need to be read by all recipients.
Under the message erasing method for the conventional pager having a display, when the user erases a plurality of messages at one time, there is no alternative but to erase all the messages. Therefore, there is no way to readily erase a plurality of unneeded messages.
The object of the present invention is to provide a method and a device which enable the user to readily erase at one time a plurality of unneeded messages.
To solve the foregoing problem, the present invention provides a message erasing method for a wireless communications device having a paging function, the method comprising: a step of indicating received messages according to chronological order; a step in which the user views the display and specifies the position of a message to be erased; and a step of erasing all the messages received before the specified message. By use of this method, the user can readily erase a plurality of unneeded messages.
As a result, the user can readily erase at one time a plurality of unneeded messages.
According to a first aspect of the present invention, there is provided a message erasing method for a wireless communication device having a paging function, the method comprising: a step of indicating received messages according to chronological order; a step of specifying the position of a message to be erased by user; and a step of erasing all the messages received before the specified message. By use of this method, the user can readily erase a plurality of unneeded messages.
According to a second aspect of the present invention, there is provided a message erasing method for a wireless communications device having a paging function, the method comprising: a step of indicating received messages according to chronological order; a step specifying a beginning of a range of messages to be erased; a step specifying an end of the range; and a step of erasing all the received messages within the range between the beginning and the end specified by the user. By use of this method, the user can readily erase at one time unneeded messages specified by the user.
According to a third aspect of the present invention, there is provided a message erasing method for a wireless communications device having a paging function, the method comprising: a step of indicating received messages according to chronological order; a step specifying a position of a message to be erased; and a step of erasing all the messages received before the specified message specified by the user, except for messages having not yet been read. By use of this method, the user can readily erase a plurality of unneeded messages at one time, except for messages which have not yet been read by the user.
According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, there is provided a message erasing method for a wireless communications device having a paging function, the method comprising: a step of indicating received messages according to chronological order; a step specifying a beginning of a range of messages to be erased; a step specifying an end of the range; and a step of erasing all the messages within the range between the beginning and the end specified by the user but having not yet been read by the user. By use of this method, the user can readily erase a plurality of unneeded messages at one time, except for messages which have not yet been read by the user.
According to a fifth aspect of the present invention, there is provided a message erasing method for a wireless communications device having a paging function, the method comprising: a step of indicating received messages according to chronological order of receipt; a step specifying, one by one, the positions of messages to be erased; and a step of collectively erasing the messages specified one by one. By use of this method, the user can collectively erase the messages specified one by one.
According to a sixth aspect of the present invention, there is provided a message erasing method for a wireless communications device, the method comprising: a step of indicating received messages according to chronological order; a step of specifying the beginning of a range of messages to remain unerased; a step of specifying the end of the range; and a step of erasing all unspecified messages while the messages within the range between the beginning and the end specified by the user remain unerased. By use of this method, the user can readily erase all unspecified messages at one time while the received messages included in the range between the begging and the end specified by the user remain unerased.
According to a seventh aspect of the present invention, a message erasing method for a wireless communications device having a paging function, the method comprising: a step of indicating received messages according to chronological order; a step of specifying the position of a message to remain unerased one by one; and a step of collectively erasing the remaining messages while the messages specified one by one remain unerased. By use of the method, the user can collectively erasing all unspecified messages while the messages specified one by one remain unerased.
According to an eighth aspect of the present invention, there is provided a message erasing method for a wireless communications device having a paging function, the method comprising: a step of indicating received messages according to chronological order; a step of specifying specific character strings, marks, or symbols; and a step of erasing all the messages assigned the specific character strings, marks, or symbols specified by the user. By use of the method, the user can erase all the messages assigned the specific character strings, marks, or symbols specified by the user.
According to a ninth aspect of the present invention, there is provided a message erasing method for a wireless communications device having a paging function, the method comprising: a step of indicating received messages according to chronological order; a step of specifying time or date-and-hour information through input operations; and a step of erasing all the messages received before the message that was received at the specified time or date-and-hour. By use of this method, the user can readily erase a plurality of unneeded messages by specifying only time or date-and-hour information byway of input operations.
According to a tenth aspect of the present invention, there is provided a message erasing device for a wireless communications device having a paging function, the device comprising: message display means for indicating received messages according to chronological order; erase position designation means which enables the user to view the display indicated by the message display means and to designate the position of a message to be erased; and message erasing means for erasing all the messages received before the message designated by the erase position designation means. With this device, the user can readily erase a plurality of unneeded messages.
According to an eleventh aspect of the present invention, there is provided a message erasing device for a wireless communications device having a paging function, the device comprising: message display means for indicating received messages according to chronological order; beginning-of-erase-range designation means which enables the user to view the display indicated by the message display means and to designate the beginning of a range of messages to be erased; end-of-erase-range designation means which enables the user to view the display provided by the message display means and to designate the end of the range; and message erasing means for erasing all the received messages included in-the range between the beginning and the end designated by the user. With this device, the user can readily erase at one time a plurality of unneeded messages designated by the user.